Country singer Reba McEntire is the newest KFC Col. Sanders

(USA Today) The last celebrity to play the manly Col. Sanders of KFC is a woman, and a famous one.

Grammy-winning country music star Reba McEntire puts on the iconic white suit, black tie, glasses, white wig and, yes, goatee as part of the advertising campaign for the new fried chicken Smoky Mountain BBQ from the chain fast food.

"I've had KFC all my life, it's been a favorite, it's American, it's healthy," said the Oklahoma native, who is a fan of hen and cabbage salad.

[19659004] However, the outfit has a feminine appearance. The two-piece suit includes many beads and appears to be tapered at McEntire's waist. She said that the transformation via wig and makeup took hours.

McEntire is the eleventh person to play the famous founder of the chain, Colonel Harlan Sanders. Previous representatives include actors Ray Liotta, Rob Lowe, George Hamilton and Darrell Hammond.

The advertising campaign is launched on Sunday.

The choice of McEntire occurs when sexual harassment is at the forefront of gender discussions throughout the country. Beginning with revelations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, this secular mistreatment of women has led victims to present themselves in dozens of industries, from food services to media and politics.

McEntire said she took the job, offered last month, because she thought "it was a great thing to do, it's a parody, and I'm an actress and that's how I took it."

KFC also said that the state of American femininity did not play in the casting decision.

"We chose Reba McEntire because she fits perfectly with KFC and Smoky Mountain BBQ, she embodies the qualities of the colonel with her showmanship and entrepreneurial spirit," said KFC marketing director Andrea Zahumensky. "We love finding people who are really iconic, like Rob Lowe, who is very emblematic, and who is really representative of our product, she is definitely sweet, she has that southern charm."

Women, of course, have been chosen for male roles for years. Other examples range from Mary Martin and Allison Williams as Peter Pan in the musical of the same name, Meryl Streep as rabbi in the HBO miniseries Angels in America and Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn, the movie I'm Not There.

Using someone who does not do it It seems exactly how the deceased founder of the chain will work to the benefit of KFC, according to Bob Killian, a trademark expert based in Chicago.

"It's a meta campaign, it's about the food or the article or the offer, it's about … We do not take advertising seriously, we should like it," he said. "They're saying we're joking, this is not what the colonel used to be."

McEntire marks the fourth change of talent in 10 months, as KFC uses new players for new promotions. Your campaign will run until April.

The commercial promotes fried chicken Smoky Mountain BBQ, which mixes Memphis and Carolinas barbecue recipes. It will be available in US restaurants. UU Participants starting on Monday.

KFC has more than 21,000 KFC locations in nearly 130 countries and territories.

The chain is owned by Yum! Brands, who also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.